Mature seed goes dark with tiger striping and sits loose in a calyx that has swollen and started to split open. Harvesting too early gives you pale, soft seeds that either fail to crack or throw weak seedlings. Timelines for how long pods need after pollination, usually six weeks or so, are covered at https://breederregularseeds.com. If the mother is fading and the seeds are not ready yet, you can hold her a little longer without much loss.
